07 CRV vx RAV4

Wife wants to move out of her 03 Pilot into either the new CRV or the RAV4.
Although Consumer Reports gives the nod to the RAV4, I am more partial to
the Honda whereas she puts more emphasis on the CR review. Any opinions out
there from those of you who looked at either vehicle?

 

"tww1491" wrote

Time to rant: the seats in both the CR-V and RAV4 are too small and not
anywhere near as nice as those in my '04 Accord EX's cloth seats. The RAV4
was worse. The seat bottom is too short for me, providing little thigh
support. The RAV4 looks far more nicely appointed than the CR-V, and seems
to have a lot more nice features, but as soon as I sat in it it was all
over. I was very disappointed. But, this is just how MY body fits and
responds to them. I'm 5'9", with longish legs, and slender. (No, I'm not
looking for a date!) ;-)

I did test drive the CR-V and it wasn't bad, but I'm not used to the lack of
rear visibility, and I've gotten spoiled by the relative luxury of the
Accord. That rear window is quite small -- and so is the one in the RAV4. I
guess they appear small because they're much further back than those in a
sedan. Still, larger SUV's don't have that problem.

 

Seats! My wife does not like the seats in the Pilot because they are too
short for her -- she's 5' 11". I agree with her that the seats (in the
Pilot) are not near as comfortable as my 06 Accord. If the seats in the CRV
and RAV are small, it sounds like the same problem.

Thanks for the input.

 

"tww1491" wrote

Yep - since buying the Accord 3 years ago I've become a "seat guy." If I'm
going to feel miserable driving a vehicle, even if it better serves my needs
(such as 4WD and more cargo room for hauling stuff), I'm going to hate it. I
sat in a couple of Subarus, too, and they didn't feel much better. But let
her try them so she can decide for herself.

Even the seats in a 2001 Chevy S-10 and 2002 Dodge Dakota 4-door are much
better than those of the CR-V and RAV4. (The 2007 Jeep Liberty's seats are
atrocious. You might as well be sitting on short boards.)

 

I think it only depends on which car you like the feel of better.
They're both reliable, good cars, so there's no problem there. But the
new CRV might be a little overpriced since it's the first year of
sales for it.

 

When Rav4 came out awd sucked. It was too slow to engage.
People were complaining that the front tires would start slipping
before they'd engage. It might be better now but if I were
in a market for a brick I'd get a forrester. At least
the awd is engaged at all times with 50/50 front to back split.
When it helps to keep it on at all times?
It's when you start to skid

 

I've looked at the new CR-V and it's very nice in many respects, but I
have one major and a few minor concerns. I found the seats very good,
very good leg and head room and even a full sized spare which I require.

The deal stopping concern I have with the CR-V is the lack of a
mechanical (non electrical) method of opening the hatch, where I keep
"minor" things like a jumper cable.

Three minor concerns I have are the very small battery,
the reach (for 6' me) to the shifter and the high weight.
I have yet to drive the CR-V.

 

Since the OP is trading in an '03 long term reliability appears not to
be an issue. Yup, time to look at a domestic like the Saturn Outlook
or perhaps a more comfort-oriented import like the Nissan Murano. I
gotta agree with you regarding the small, unsupportive seats some
automakers put into their smaller vehicles.

 

Ooh I forgot about the Nissans...I absolutely love the Nissan Murano/
Infiniti FX35/45 SUVs. A relative of mine has one; I don't know about
long-term reliability but as far as comfort, style and features go
they can't be beat!

 

I like the looks of the new CRV, but there are two problems:

The CRV could use a bit more power. It's pretty gutless compared to a
Rav4 with a 6 cyclinder.

Discounts on the new CRV are awful. The best I can do locally is around
$700 off sticker. When the dealer wants $26,000 for a small SUV
(CRV-EXL AWD) that's a bit much in my book. Wait a few months, and I'll
bet the discounts are up to $1400, maybe more. Actually, a few buyers
claim they're getting discounts around that level already.

The Rav4 looks quite a bit roomier, and I believe 3rd row seating is
available. Consumer Reports rates the Rav4, Forester and a couple of
other smallSUVs higher than the CRV. MrB

 

When I looked at them last year, the RAV4 was not roomier than the '06 CRV
and, though the 4 cylinder RAV4 had more horsepower on paper, the CRV felt
quicker and more responsive to drive. The V6 is a hot rod and Honda does
not have anything to compare to it. The third seat is a joke & only viable
for small children. Don't make your decision based on solely on reading
specs or consumer reports reviews. Consumer Reports is useful for
identifying which cars have dismal maintenance histories and which ones roll
over too easily. If you wade through the babble on the CRV and RAV4, you
will find that Consumer Reports actually rates them extremely close to each
other.

Bottom Line - You really have to drive them each and be honest with
yourself about what you like and dislike about them before you buy anything.